Improvement in horseshoes



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ALBERT S. WILKINSON, OF PAWTUOKET, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSESHOES.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,307, dated July 10, 1866.

To all whom it may concern j Be it known that I, ALBERT S. WILKINSON, of Pawtucket, Providence county, State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful lmprovemen't in Hinge-Jointed Horseshoes; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, Sheet l, is atop view of my hingejointed shoes for horses and other animals. Fig. 2 is a section oi' the same, taken in the line ac x, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View.

Similar letters of reference in the different figures indica-te corresponding parts.

Horseshoes as ordinarily made and nailed to the hoof entirely prevent lateral expansion and contraction of the heel of the foot and lock up that portion of the hoof in ail unnatural and injurious manner.

The object of this invention is to improve jointed expanding shoes, so as to overcome the present practical objections thereto and allow the feet of the animal to expand under pressure as nature designed.

In jointed shoes as at present constructed the joint or pivot is so exposed to blows and batterings upon hard roads that it soon becomes upset so thoroughly as to be inoperative 5 and further, the head of the rivet becomes worn off before the shoe is worn out, and the shoe then drops apart. These objections I obviate by causing the rivet to be substantially a portion of the lower part ofthe joint, so as to represent a stud projecting upward from the said lower part, and upon which the upper part of the joint is pivoted. In this manner the blows received by the shoe do not a'ect the joint or working parts of the joint, and the pivot also continues to hold the parts together until the lower portion of the shoe is wholly wornout..

My improvement further consists in securing this class of shoe to the animals foot by means of a toe-clip, heel-clips, and bar-clips, hereinafter more fully described.

Having described the nature of my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A G O in the accompanying drawings represent the body ofthe shoe, the parts C C being` hinged to A by the two pivots g g, and are provided with bar-clips d d and heel-clips e e, Fig. l.

The part A is provided with a toe-clip, c, which secures the toe of the shoe to the hoof, while the heel is secured by screws or nails occupying the holes n n, Fig. l.

The pivot g is secured in the lower part of the joint or plate a', Fig. I, by a tapering head, i, Fig. 3, which reaches entirely through the plate a', so that the said plate must be 4entirely worn out before the tapering head c' will release its hold.y This tapering head i is driven into plate c', so as to be fixed therein, and is not inj uriously aected by blows upon the bottom of theshoe. The upper end ofthe pivot has a washer, j', let into the upper surface of the bar C.

The bar-clips d d and heel-clips e e make a more easy bearing for the heel of the foot and guard that portion of the foot from bruises, Ste., and relieve the fastenings of much strain. Some of the advantages of this shoe may be stated as follows It admits full and ample expansion and contraction of the animals feet or heels. The shoe, being secured to the foot with but two nails or screws, is more easily removed from or adjusted to the foot, and, as fewer nails are required than ordinarily, the hoof is less injured thereby. It also allows the nails to be driven near to the heel, where the shell of the hoof is not only thicker than it is farther forward, but also stands more nearly at a right angle with the face of the shoe, affording a better hold for the fastening nails or screws. A single joint in lieu of two may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Hinging the bar G to the barA by means of the tapering rivet g and washer f, let into the upper surface of the bar G, all substantially as described, and indicated in Sheet l of drawings.

2. The combination of the bar-clips d ol with a toe-clip, c, heel-clips e c, and one or more hinge-joints, g g, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

ALBERT S. WILKINSON.

Witnesses:

W. W. BLoDGETT, WILLIAM W. REND. 

